Pet friendly advice on how to get the most from your animal companions

From domestic animals to circus performers and from testing animals to the meat on your table — few people take the time to understand how individuals, businesses, and organizations abuse animals. The statistics are startling, especially when an overwhelming number of animal abusers also abuse humans. The numbers point to the fact that animal cruelty problems are people problems. The following list starts with domestic animals, and then moves on to a few facts about farm and circus animals, and includes information about legislation that has been enacted to help stop animal abuse. Veterinarians can find information, also, about their responsibilities with abuse cases.

Sixty-eight percent of battered women reported violence towards their animals. Eighty-seven percent of these incidents occurred in the presence of the women, and 75 percent in the presence of the children. According to the American Humane Association, abusers kill, harm, or threaten children’s pets to coerce them into sexual abuse or to force them to remain silent about abuse.

In 1997, Boston’s Northeastern University and the MSPCA did a study that found 70 percent of all animal abusers have committed at least one other crime and that 40 percent had committed violent crimes against humans.

In 2001 a woman named Alison Gianotto of California began an online database of abuse cases at Pet Abuse, after her cat was stolen and set on fire. As of February 2005, the database listed information on 3,736 cases.

In media-reported animal cruelty cases, dogs — pit bulls, in particular — are the most common victims of animal cruelty. Reported abuse against pit bulls appears to be on the rise: in 2000–2001, pit bulls were involved in 13 percent of reported dog-abuse cases; in 2007, they were involved in 25 percent of reported dog-abuse cases.

According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), approximately five to seven million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately three to four million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats).

In the United Kingdom, animal abandonment is up by more than 58 percent since 2008, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

In January, 2003, authorities discovered the worst case of animal hoarding in U.S. history. An elderly couple living in rural Malheur County, Oregon, was found to have more than 550 dogs in and around their home. The dogs were scattered around the property, with some living inside the home, some in pens, and some in abandoned cars. Many of the dogs were sick and mal-nourished. More than 100 had to be euthanized.

While organized dogfighting activity seemed to decline in the 1990s, many law enforcement and animal control officials feel that it has rebounded in recent years. The Internet has made it easier for dogfighters to rapidly exchange information about animals and fights.

Numerous attacks on people by tethered dogs have been documented. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that 17 percent of dogs involved in fatal attacks on humans between 1979 and 1998 were restrained on their owners’ property at the time of the attack. The book, Fatal Dog Attacks, states that 25 percent of fatal attacks were inflicted by chained dogs of many different breeds.

Arsenic-laced additives are mixed into the feed of about 70 percent of the chickens raised for food, but chickens do not eliminate all of it in their waste. Legal battles continue on behalf of more than 100 plaintiffs in an Arkansas town with the second-largest chicken population in the U.S. Residents there have been diagnosed with arsenic poisoning [PDF] that has led to blood diseases and extremely rare types of cancer. Recently, the FDA conducted a study that did find traces of arsenic in chicken livers. FDA said Pfizer, the maker of 3-Nitro, will remove it from the market in July.

It is estimated that on average it takes 1,000 dogs to maintain a mid-sized racetrack operation. In Massachusetts, which began keeping injury records in 2002, more than 800 dogs were seriously injured during races in just six years at two tracks, and more than 80 percent of the injuries were broken legs.

Most pet store puppies (and 80 percent of the American Kennel Club’s business) come from puppy mills, mass-breeding operations in which ill, suffering dogs are kept in deplorable conditions. They breed between 2 and 4 million puppies each year.

Over 25 to 100 million vertebrate animals were reported to be used for animal testing in US. Chimpanzees, monkeys, beagles, dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, birds, and farm animals were used for animal experimentation. The invertebrate number is still high as over 100 million of them are estimated to have been used for lab testing.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) animal testing programs subject animals to irradiation, burnings, bombings, wounds and decompression sickness. Every year, at least 320,000 primates, dogs, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, cats, and other animals are hurt and killed by the DoD. These experiments are reported to be the most painful and invasive conducted in the country.

Under law, slaughtered cattle and hogs first must be “stunned” — rendered insensible to pain — with a blow to the head or an electric shock. Often, this stunning doesn’t always work properly. Enforcement records, interviews, videos, and worker affidavits describe repeated abuses of this method at dozens of slaughterhouses, ranging from the smallest, custom butcheries to modern, automated establishments.

Former Ringling animal crew employees Archele Hundley and Bob Tom witnessed what they described as routine animal abuse in the circus, including a 30-minute beating of an elephant in Tulsa, OK, that left the animal screaming and bleeding profusely from her wounds. Training methods for animals used in circuses involve varying degrees of punishment and deprivation. In the United States, no government agency monitors animal training sessions.

From 1994 to 2005, at least 31 elephants have died premature deaths in the circus. Other circus animals who have died in an untimely manner include horses and lions.

In the year 2000, the ASPCA, along with The Fund for Animals, Born Free USA and the Animal Welfare Institute, filed a federal lawsuit against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The lawsuit contended that the circus’s treatment of its Asian elephants violates the federal Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, on December 30, 2009, the case was decided on behalf of the defense (Ringling’s owners, Feld Entertainment) based on lack of standing of the plaintiffs.

In recent years, many states have focused their attention on animal abuse, neglect, and cruelty reporting by veterinarians, health care providers, and other social service providers. Currently, eleven states require licensed veterinarians to report certain suspected animal cruelty violations.

Many people love their pets. They pay for the best veterinary care available, and make sure that their pets are properly pampered. There are spas for pets, fancy pet hotels and designer clothing meant for various animals. While there are plenty of exotic pets, most people still prefer the old standbys of cats and dogs. These animals are often faithful and affectionate, and furry and comforting. And, indeed, cats and dogs can lead rich and full lives, well cared for by their owners. If a pet owner is rich, his or her cats and/or dogs will be well cared for by the best, most expensive veterinarians, receive the best food, and enjoy the fanciest toys.

In some cases, the rich love their pets so much that they actually leave their pets an inheritance. And that inheritance can be quite large, reaching into the millions of dollars. Here are 10 of the richest cats and dogs in the world — pets who quite possibly have more money than you ever will!

Animal lovers often need a place where they can interact. While the waiting room of veterinary practice can be a good way to meet other pet lovers. However, sometimes it is more efficient — and fun — to meet people online. Going to a social networking site can be a good way to meet other people and their pets. No matter your career, it is possible to meet others who share your love of animals. Here are 25 awesome social networking sites for animal lovers: [click to continue…]

There are a number of famous folks who love their animals. From presidents with beloved pets to A-list celebrities who pamper their pooches and kitties, it is no surprise that some animals are quite famous. Some celebrities turn to their pets for companionship and unconditional love when the tabloids attack, and others just love to show off their animals as cute accessories. It’s hard not to love animals, since they will treat you well if you are willing to take care of them. Here are 10 famous cats and dogs that are well-known members of celebrity families: [click to continue…]

Do you spend time online looking for strange animal behaviors? For the most part, people don’t look for animals that fall in love, squirrels drinking from straws or dancing cats. But, some people are fascinated with what animals can do, and when they find a connection between animals and humans the fascination never seems to end. [click to continue…]

Nearly every president of the U.S. has had at least one pet. Animals provide us with affection and comfort, and many presidents have enjoyed the companionship of the animal world. Some presidents have merely enjoyed the idea of pets because of their uniqueness or as part of their household wealth. George Washington had 36 hounds and a stable full of horses. Lewis and Clark brought two bear cubs to Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Van Buren had tiger cubs. Perhaps most interesting was the alligator that John Quincy Adams kept in a bathtub. But the most popular pets, as one might expect, are dogs and cats.

One of the most popular (and cute!) trends on the Internet right now is the lolcatz trend. This combines pictures of cats, matched with captions. The captions often use poor grammar and spelling, and often provide parody for online jargon such as “lol” and “ur”. These pictures are often amusing and adorable — especially if you are a cat lover. On top of that, lolcatz has evolved to include just about any picture doctored with a caption that consists of shoddy English. It doesn’t always have to be cats, although cats are most prominently featured. If you are into lolcatz, here are 25 Web sites that can help you get your fix.

Do you love animals? Can you relate to PETA despite their goofy antics to publicize animal rights? Do you donate to shelters before you feed yourself? There’s a good chance, then, that you’re an animal lover. In this case, you’ll love the list we’ve created of fifty blogs for people like you.

Pets are kept for companionship as well as enjoyment as household animals. They can stimulate a human being especially the elderly. Pet owner joy comes when they watch, raise, and take care of their animals. However, pet-keeping is also a responsibility-driven hobby that requires total commitment. An attachment is developed between the pet owner and the pet in the process. There are a variety of great iPhone applications for animal lovers which can help them perform tasks such as tracking the pets vet visits, find a pet photo gallery, find parks to take the pets and so forth. As a result, it makes the pets owner work easier, and this is possible due to the advances made in information technology. Here are just of the applications.

Pet Notebook
If your pet is like a family member and you would like to monitor the pets’ medication, birth date, have photos of the pet as well as have custom notes, then the pet notebook application is suitable for the reason that it has all of those features.

Off Leash
An additional application available is Off Leash used to identify at least five parks within your locality. At the parks your pets can roam freely as well as have a lot of fun. This will help you break the monotony of visiting the same park. By any chance if you notice there is a park not listed you can add it by submitting it on the information button.

Pet Phone
Also, the Pet Phone is another application suitable for pet owners since, sometimes taking care of a pet can be overwhelming. For that reason, the Pet Phone application’s main aim is to give a hand to the pet owner. This is done by assisting in the tracking your pet’s weight history in due course, following up on the vet visits, allergies, as well as medications. As a result, you become a stress-free pet owner and a happy and healthy pet.

All Pets Radio Player
This is an application used to inform the pet owner about the resources, tips, as well as interesting tidbits on all pets. This helps you take care of the pet efficiently. It is suitable if the pet trackers as well as the Notebook are not satisfying your needs. The All Pets Radio Player application is a radio station streamed from the internet and can be accessed anytime as long as you have access to the internet.

Relax Alarm Clock application
Majority of pet owners are not comfortable leaving their pets behinds when traveling and have to leave them behind. Therefore, the Relax Alarm Clock application can come in handy as it records audio sounds of the pet and then plays back with spotless sound quality. The alarm sounds exactly like the real pets’ sounds. The custom alarm sound can be used to wake you up; and this will relax you in the morning. It is however important for one to have the alarm application running so that the alarm sound can work.

It is now possible to get a veterinary technician degree over the internet. This is because there are numerous online veterinary technician schools. These schools give you the chance to learn at your own speed from home. The focus of the courses that are offered is on the development of skills that will be useful in the performance of a professional veterinary technician. It is not possible to learn all the skills that a veterinary needs but this schools provide you with an entry position into the field.

The online schools open up opportunities for people who are interested in careers that involve animal care. The courses that are taught include nutrition, genetics, animal anatomy, reproduction, physiology and office management. Some of the costs that you will incur at these online schools include lessons, instructional support of the instructors and other students during online discussions, textbooks and learning aids.

There are various career opportunities for people who take the courses. The course will allow you to work in a private veterinary office, animal hospital or in a diagnostic laboratory. The animal hospitals and private hospitals often have opportunities for research and conducting of various tests to improve on animal care.

If you choose to take the online degree on a part time basis due to work or family obligations, you will take about three years to finish your Veterinary Technician Associate Degree. On a fulltime basis, this degree from the online veterinary technician schools, you can complete it in about two years.

The online veterinary technician schools that you select should be accredited to ensure that your degree is recognized by employers and other institutions when you want to further your studies. The requirements to get into these schools vary from one school to another therefore you need to carefully look at the qualifications and determine which one suits you.

About This Blog

The Pet Gazette is the must-read publication on the web for those who want to learn more about their favorite furry and fluffy companions.